Safari Jeff delivered two performances of his Triassic-Dawn of the Reptiles travelling show at Northgate Shopping Centre on Saturday afternoon. There are two more performances set for 12 and 3 p.m. on Sunday. PHOTOS BY LIAM BERTI
Gigantic snakes, enormous iguanas and creepy crocodiles slithered and crawled through Northgate Shopping Centre on Saturday afternoon, but nobody seemed too worried or scared.
Instead, they marveled in disbelief as renowned adventure entertainer Safari Jeff handled the rare and riveting reptiles for hundreds of awe-struck onlookers in the mall’s Centre Court.
“The public have such an awesome experience and I’m just the guy who gets to be responsible for the magic,” he said on Saturday.
Ancient fossils and interactive displays also graced the stage for Jeff’s Triassic-Dawn of the Repitiles travelling show.
But beyond the sheer visual experience, children and adults alike learned about the animals’ ecosystems, unique physiological traits and their roles in wildlife from one of the most well respected entertainers in the genre.
“It’s a show that transcends through any genre, culture or age,” he explained. “It meets and touches everybody that watches.”
Afterwards, he went one step further and gave the brave members of the audience the hands-on experience they were looking for, pacing the front row of the crowd to touch, feel and interact with some of the animals.
Helping people make the connection to an otherwise untouchable side of nature is the most rewarding part of his calling, he said.
“It’s about turning people on to nature,” he said simply. “When people are turned on to nature, it changes everything down the road: they teach it to their kids and it changes everything."
Other than the reptiles, the production is a one-man show from top to bottom.
“I’m the truck driver, mover, pooper scooper, and DJ; I do it all,” he said “The show is the easiest part of my job.”
The edutainer, as he calls himself, began touring Ontario’s libraries over 28 years ago and said the journey never gets old.
North Bay used to be a frequent stop on those tour schedules, performing at the public library and other locations year after year. But after a small hiatus from the area, Jeff said it was a very warm welcome for his return on Saturday.
“It’s great to be back and I hope that it becomes a regular visit again,” he said. “Some of my fans that were here as youngsters are now parents and are bringing their kids out.”
Now living in Red Deer, Alberta, Jeff said the show has evolved in an amazing way and he looks forward to where its going.
“From early on, you envision things like having lights and music and televisions in the show, and it’s taken years to get there,” he said.
There are difficult times on his unique career journey, he said, like driving through a threatening blizzard on the way to North Bay just days ago. But at the end of the day, he considers himself privaleged to see so many smiles when he and the reptiles take centre stage.
“I always feel like I’m meant to do it and it’s a great privilege to do it; it’s a crazy life,” he said with a smile on his face. “I’m a lucky guy.”
Jeff has two more show time set for Sunday, at 12 and 3 p.m., before he and the reptiles drive to their next stop.